The Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival is a rare and unique opportunity to see, play, hear and celebrate handcrafted guitars and meet their makers.

A BRief history

The Melbourne Guitar Makers Festival is organised by the Melbourne Guitar Makers Guild and a dedicated team of guitar loving volunteers. The festival is a non profit event, funded by the makers and a door charge.After a concerted effort, the first show was held in 2009 at the Convent, and following it's success, was held again in 2010 and 2011. After taking a break in 2012, it was decided to hold the festival biennially. The 2013 show was our best show yet, with 25 guitar makers, live performances all weekend, guitar making workshops, lectures, a classical music program run by the Classical Guitar Society of Victoria and a screening of a documentary on guitar making, all in the stunning surrounds of the Convent!

If you want to know what great guitar making can be, you should not look at the ads. Here’s to everyone who thinks that the guitar industry is a flat disc: ours isn’t. Ours is a sphere, and it’s got a golden gleam. 

— Ulrich Teuffel, European Guitar Builders founding member

What We're About

Building a community of makers and players of handcrafted guitars.

Raising the profile of handcrafted guitars, their makers and their players.

Facilitating a collective support network amongst professional hand made guitar makers.

Providing a point of contact between players and makers.

Staging an exhibition/festival showcasing the work of hand made guitar makers.

Encouraging and inspiring a conversation of ideas on sound, playability, aesthetics and craftsmanship between players and makers.